Guar gum replacement for instant beverages debuts

WHITE MARSH, MD. – TIC Gums has introduced Ticaloid GE 306, a blend that reduces the overall use of guar gum in instant beverages like lemonade and powdered drinks.

Ticaloid GE 306 improves the overall mouthfeel of instant lemonade because the thickness is slightly greater than that accomplished using only guar, according to the company. The blend of ingredients, still containing reduced levels of guar, is cold water soluble and has comparable qualities of 100% guar gum.

Demand for guar gum is up over 200% compared to 2010 due to tight availability and the ingredient’s use by the petroleum industry.

“The guar gum supply challenge in 2011 was shaped by both raw material availability and the industry’s production capacity to manage such a sudden and significant increase in demand,” said Gregory C. Andon, president of TIC Gums. “There is a ‘bottleneck’ around the overall guar industry’s manufacturing capacity, which will remain a challenge no matter what happens to the availability of guar seeds. The bottom line is that without a reduction in demand, 2012 supply limits and historically high prices are still expected.”

Comment on this Article

The views expressed in the comments section of Food Business News do not reflect those of Food Business News or its parent company, Sosland Publishing Co., Kansas City, Mo. Concern regarding a specific comment may be registered with the Editor by clicking the Report Abuse link.
Enter code as it is shown (required):